Electronic adapter for electro-active spectacle lenses

ABSTRACT

An adapter for a spectacle frame is disclosed which is configured for enabling the spectacle frame to operate and control electro-active lenses housed therein. In particular, the spectacle frame may allow electro-active lenses housed therein to focus and be controlled both automatically and manually with heretofore unrealized results.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application U.S. Ser.No. 60/815,870, filed on Jun. 23, 2006 (and entitled Electronic AdapterFor Electro-Active Spectacle Lenses That Enables Near Universal FrameCompatibility) which is incorporated in its entirety herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an adapter for a spectacleframe housing electro-active lenses. Specifically, this inventionrelates to an adapter configured for enabling a spectacle frame tooperate and control electro-active lenses housed therein without theneed to either uniquely design and manufacture the spectacle frame or toperform undue modifications of an existing spectacle frame. Inparticular, the spectacle frame may allow electro-active lenses housedtherein to focus and be controlled both automatically and manually withheretofore unrealized results.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the invention of electro-active spectacle lenses that providedynamic changes in focus there is a desire to engineer these lenses suchthat they can be compatible with most, if not all, pre-existingspectacle frame designs. To accomplish such a task, all of thecomponents required to operate the electro-active functionality must beincorporated either internally or externally to the body of the lens sothat the lens can be mounted into any unmodified spectacle frame andstill be both aesthetically acceptable and fully functional.

Historically, the optical industry has been structured in such a waythat the patient selects his or her eyewear based largely on aestheticsthat relate to frame comfort and appearance. Generally the frames arethe first item selected in picking out prescription eyeware. Lenses,including tints, coatings, and optical design are usually picked second.Given the significant number of available frame styles, sizes, andcolors, the manner in which the industry has historically functioned,and the desire of the consumer or patient to have a vast selection offrames to choose from, there is a desire to provide a means and systemfor near universal compatibility between the new electro-active lensesand existing frame designs.

Accordingly, there is now provided with this invention an improvedspectacle frame adapted for housing electro-active lenses thateffectively overcomes the aforementioned difficulties and longstandingproblems inherent in the art. These problems have been solved in asimple, convenient, and highly effective way by which to controlelectro-active lenses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, an adapter for anelectro-active lens is disclosed, wherein the electro-active lens ishoused in a spectacle frame and the electro-active lens has a first setof electrical contacts. The adapter is a separate element from theelectro-active lens and has a second set of electrical contacts forproviding an electrical signal to the electro-active lens through thefirst set of electrical contacts.

As will be appreciated by those persons skilled in the art, a majoradvantage provided by the present invention is enabling a spectacleframe to operate and control electro-active lenses housed thereinwithout the need to either uniquely design and manufacture the spectacleframe or to perform undue modifications of an existing spectacle frame.The spectacle frame may allow electro-active lenses housed therein tofocus and be controlled both automatically and manually with heretoforeunrealized results. Additional objects of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description.

The method and apparatus of the present invention will be betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed discussion of specificembodiments and the attached figures which illustrate and exemplify suchembodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A specific embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to the following drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an example of anelectro-active lens and its drive components.

FIG. 2A is a front view of a spectacle frame housing the adapter of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2B is a top view of a spectacle frame housing the adapter of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3A is a top view of the left temporal side of an embodiment of theelectro-active spectacle lens of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the top left temporal side of an embodiment ofthe adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 3C is a top view of the top left temporal side of anotherembodiment of the adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 3D is a top view of the top left temporal side of anotherembodiment of the adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 3E is a top view of the top left temporal side of anotherembodiment of the adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 3F is a top view of the top left temporal side of anotherembodiment of the adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 3G is a top view of the top left temporal side of anotherembodiment of the adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 3H is a top view of the top left temporal side of anotherembodiment of the adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 3I is a top view of the left temporal side of another embodiment ofthe electro-active spectacle lens of the present invention.

FIG. 3J is a top view of the top left temporal side of anotherembodiment of the adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an embodiment of the right side of theelectro-active spectacle lens and adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of another embodiment of the right side of theelectro-active spectacle lens and adapter of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of another embodiment of the right side of theelectro-active spectacle lens and adapter of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following preferred embodiment as exemplified by the drawings isillustrative of the invention and is not intended to limit the inventionas encompassed by the claims of this application.

As shown in FIG. 1, as in all embodiments of the present invention, theelectro-active spectacle lenses 100 contain an electro-active lenselement 101 and drive electronics, including one or more focus sensors102, all of which are embedded within the body of a lens 103 that act tocorrect refractive errors of the eye not associated with presbyopia. Thedrive electronics are contained within a driver. The driver may alsoinclude all necessary control components for providing the appropriateelectrical signal for providing the proper optical power in theelectro-active lens. The body of the lens may be either a finished blank(two optical quality surfaces) or a semi-finished blank (one opticalquality surface). The focus sensors, drive electronics, andelectro-active lens element may be typically attached to the anteriorand/or posterior surface of a flexible but transparent star shapedsubstrate 104 where electrical connection is made via thin filmtransparent electrical leads 105 (such as, by way of example only,indium tin oxide, ITO). These thin film transparent electrical leadsinclude connections 106 for an electrical power source. These thin filmtransparent electrical leads may also include connections for digital oranalog signal transfer. In certain other embodiments, the power, sourceand signal connections may be of a different design where they areconnected to the flexible substrate but contain non thin-filmconductors, such as, by way of example only, fine gauge metal wire. Thisalternative design is such that the connection does not significantlyinterfere with the user's vision or the aesthetics of the lens. Thesepower source and signal connections as well as the focus sensors anddrive electronics are placed near the edge of the lens, near where theframe eye-wire and temple connect, such that when the lens is fittedwithin the frame, the power source, drive electronics, and focus sensorsdo not interfere with the vision of the user. Alternatively, the drivecomponents may be placed distal from the electro-active lenses either inthe spectacle frame, the temples, or in the adapter of the presentinvention.

In an embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the electro-activelens 201 with electro-active region 203 is edged (cut to the shape ofthe spectacle frame) using techniques well known in the art. The processof edging the lens acts to either partially or fully expose theelectrical leads that connect to the power source. This edged lens isthen combined with an electrical adapter 202 that, as shown in FIG. 3B,may contain one or more electrical power sources 305, one or moreelectrical switches to provide manual control of the lenses to the user306, and one or more sensors 307 that acts to detect the presence of theuser (determine if spectacles are being worn). As an alternative design,the sensor 307 may also include the drive electronics 102 for theelectro-active lens. The sensor 307 may also sense if the frame isopened. This adapter has electrical contacts 308 that correspond to thepower source and signal electrical contacts in the lens 106 such thatwhen the adapter is placed between the spectacle lens and the eye wireof the spectacle frame, the pressure associated with securing the lenswithin the frame acts to make positive electrical contact between thelens and the adapter as well as physically secure the adapter to thespectacles. Components within the adapter are connected electrically bymeans of internal wiring 309. Power sources included within the adaptermay be, by way of example only, disposable zinc-air batteries orrechargeable Li-ion or Li-polymer batteries. Manual switches includedwithin the adapter may be, by way of example only, pressure switches,capacitive touch switches or optical proximity switches. Sensors todetermine if the spectacles are being worn may be, by way of exampleonly, optical proximity switches or accelerometers which, if activated,instruct the drive electronics to operate the focus sensors within thebody of the lens. In this embodiment each of the lenses would beidentical and would each require an individual adapter. The driver mayprovide an electrical signal for generating the appropriate amount ofoptical power in each of the electro-active lenses. The driver may alsoinclude a focusing sensor for determining the appropriate signal for theelectro-active lenses.

As also shown in FIGS. 3A-3J, the use of such an adapter 202 mayrequire, in certain embodiments, other machining steps in addition toedging where, by way of example only, one or more of a slot, groove, ornotch 301 is machined into the body of the lens 201 such that robustphysical and electrical connection is made between the frame, lens, andadapter. As the adapter would be placed near to where the frame eye-wireand temple connect, such a machining step may allow the adapter to belocated-on the posterior surface of the lens 302 and be mostly hiddenfrom view by the temple hinge. Such a placement would be advantageousfor preserving the aesthetic quality of the spectacles. It is preferablethat the edge profile of the adapter 303 match that of the lens 304 suchthat a secure fit is guaranteed between the frame, lens, and adapter.

Embodiments of the adapter of the present invention may contain any of acombination of components. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the adaptermay have an on/off switch, a power source, and a sensor for sensing thepresence of the user. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3C, the adaptermay only have a power source. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3D, theadapter may only have an on/off switch. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.3E, the adapter may only have a sensor for sensing the presence of theuser. As shown in FIG. 3F, the adapter may have an on/off switch, and asensor for sensing the presence of the user. As shown in FIG. 3G, theadapter may have an on/off switch, and a power source. As shown in FIG.3H, the adapter may have a power source and a sensor for sensing thepresence of the user.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 3I and 3J, the electrical connectionmade between the frame, lens, and adapter may include a physicalconnection in which mating elements between the lens and the adapter arescrewed to one another. As shown, the adapter may include screw threads311 which secure into mating threads 310 in the lens. Of course, as iswell known in the art, such physical connections can further include awide variety of equivalents, for example, a bayonet-type connection, adetent, snap-like connection and etc. As is also well known in the art,the electrical connection may be made with a wide variety of electricalmating elements, for example, male/female connectors, plugs, sockets,pins, and the like.

The adapter may be positioned so that it simultaneously contacts thelens and the frame or, alternatively, it may be positioned so that itonly contacts the lens and does not contact the frame. The adapter maybe positioned so that it is located under and above the surface of thelens when it is in contact therewith. The adapter may be furtherpositioned so that it is located near a periphery of the surface of thelens when it is in contact therewith.

One issue with the above embodiments is that each lens operatesindependently from the other. Therefore, the possibility exists thatunder certain operational conditions one lens may be triggered tooperate while the other is not. To eliminate this problem a means forsynchronizing the operation of the two lenses must be devised such thatwhen one of the two lenses is activated, the other will be activated bydefault. In another embodiment of the invention the electrical adaptersof the two lenses are connected by means of discrete signal conduit suchas, by way of example only, one or more of a small gauge metal wire oroptical fiber. Such signal conduits could be hidden in the gap betweenthe frame eye wire and the lens as well as behind the bridge that joinsthe two lenses.

In another embodiment the two lenses are synchronized by means of awireless optical connection designed to transmit data across the bridgeas shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment an infrared optical transceiverunit 401 is tethered to each adapter 202 by means of a flex circuit 402,which may be hidden between the superior eye-wire of the frame and theedged electro-active spectacle lens 201. The transceiver unit ispreferred to be located at the location of where the superior verticaldistance of each eye-wire allows for the best, unhindered opticalcommunication between the IR transceivers. As with the adapter, anadditional machining step may be required where, by way of example only,one or more of a slot, groove, or notch 403 is machined into the body ofthe lens such that a robust physical connection is made between thetransceiver unit and the spectacles. Furthermore, such machining stepswould allow the transceiver unit to be mounted to either the anterior orposterior surface of the lens.

In another embodiment the two lenses are synchronized by means of awireless, radio frequency (RF) communication system as shown in FIG. 5.In this embodiment the electrical adapter 202 contains circuitry for anRF transceiver that is tethered to a flex circuit antenna 501 (forexample only). This flex circuit antenna may be hidden between the frameeye wire and the edged spectacle lens 201.

In another embodiment the two lenses are synchronized by means ofinductive coupling as shown in FIG. 6. In this embodiment the electricaladapter 202 contains circuitry for a pulsed current source that istethered to multiple-turn coils of an electrical conductor made usingflex circuit 601 (for example only). These flex circuit coils may behidden between the frame eye wire and the edged spectacle lens. In thisapproach, current pulses in the coils of lens 1 generates a magneticfield which, by way of Faraday's law of induction, generates a currentin the coils of lens 2, which is then be detected by the circuitry ofthe electrical adapter of lens 2. In this manner communication betweenthe two lenses is enabled.

In another embodiment, the two lenses may be synchronized by means ofultrasonic signals transmitted over free space. In this embodiment theelectrical adapter contains circuitry for an ultrasonic transceiver.Such an approach is advantageous in that no additional components arerequired to be tethered to the electrical adapter.

In yet another embodiment, the two lenses may be synchronized by meansof vibrations transmitted through the spectacle frame. In thisembodiment the electrical adapter contains a vibration transducer anddetector that makes physical contact to the frame when the lenses,adapters, and frames are assembled. Transducers and detectors ofvibrations may be made from, by way of example only, piezoelectricmaterials. Such an approach is advantageous in that no additionalcomponents are required to be tethered to the electrical adapter.

In order to simplify any of the above embodiments, only one lens couldbe outfitted with one or more focus sensors and a synchronizationtransmitter while the other lens would not include any focus sensors andonly a synchronization receivers. In such an embodiment the lens withthe focus sensor(s) would operate as the “master” while the other lenswould operate as the “slave” and only operate when directed by themaster. Such a one-way communication system would reduce powerconsumption (by eliminating synchronization transmitters and a focussensors) and simplify synchronization, but at the expense of eliminatingredundancy in the focus sensors.

Although the particular embodiments shown and described above will proveto be useful in many applications in the spectacle art and theelectro-active lens art to which the present invention pertains, furthermodifications of the present invention will occur to persons skilled inthe art. All such modifications are deemed to be within the scope andspirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. An adapter for an electro-active lens, wherein the electro-activelens is housed in a spectacle frame and the electro-active lens has afirst set of electrical contacts, wherein said adapter is a separateelement from the electro-active lens, and wherein said adapter-has asecond set of electrical contacts for providing an electrical signal tothe electro-active lens through said first set of electrical contacts.2. The adapter of claim 1, further comprising a power source operativelyconnected to said second set of contacts.
 3. The adapter of claim 2,further comprising a manually operable on/off switch connected to saidpower source.
 4. The adapter of claim 1, further comprising a sensoroperatively connected to said second set of electrical contacts, whereinsaid sensor is for detecting if the electro-active lens is to beprovided with the signal.
 5. The adapter of claim 1, further comprisinga driver operatively connected to said second set of electricalcontacts, wherein said signal is for generating a predetermined opticaladd power to the electro-active lens.
 6. The adapter of claim 1, whereinsaid first set of electrical contacts and said second set of electricalcontacts further comprise electrical mating elements.
 7. The adapter ofclaim 4, wherein said sensor senses the presence of the user.
 8. Theadapter of claim 7, wherein said sensor senses if the frame is opened.9. The adapter of claim 5, wherein said driver provides said signal forgenerating the appropriate amount of optical power in the electro-activelens.
 10. The adapter of claim 5, wherein said driver further comprisesa focusing sensor for determining the appropriate signal for theelectro-active lenses.
 11. The adapter of claim 1, further comprising asynchronizing means operatively connected to the adapter for controllingone lens based upon the control of another lens.
 12. The adapter ofclaim 11, wherein said synchronizing means comprises infrared opticaltransmission signals.
 13. The adapter of claim 11, wherein saidsynchronizing means comprises RF transmission signals.
 14. The adapterof claim 11, wherein said synchronizing means comprises an inductivecoupling.
 15. The adapter of claim 11, wherein said synchronizing meanscomprises a flexible circuit extending through the spectacle frame. 16.The adapter of claim 11, wherein said synchronizing means comprisesultrasonic transmission signals.
 17. The adapter of claim 11, whereinsaid synchronizing means comprises vibration transmission signals. 18.The adapter of claim 17, wherein said synchronizing means comprisespiezoelectric materials.
 19. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the adapteris for simultaneously contacting the lens and the frame.
 20. The adapterof claim 1, wherein the adapter is for contacting the lens withoutcontacting the frame.
 21. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the adapter islocated under and above the surface of the lens when in contacttherewith.
 22. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the lens has a surfaceand adapter is located near the periphery of said surface when incontact with the lens.